


Prey of the Weak

by iamtheoneinthehole



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Dystopian Hybrid AU, Hybrid AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-04
Updated: 2014-09-04
Packaged: 2018-02-16 03:28:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2254143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamtheoneinthehole/pseuds/iamtheoneinthehole
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>going-in-cakeless prompted: Dystopia Hybrid AU where laws have been placed that separate prey hybrids from predatory hybrids. Everyone defies the laws and if you're caught, then you're left for dead. Some predators attack prey and leave them to bleed on the streets, and some take in said prey to help them. Basically: Predator seen with prey, or reverse, means absolute death. (Lame prompt but I'm sure you'll create a masterpiece with it.)</p>
<p>Hunt or be hunted, those were the rules… And anyone who disobeyed them was always living on borrowed time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prey of the Weak

**Author's Note:**

> This was one of those prompts I received that rapidly took on a life of it’s own and has spiraled it’s way out into a fully fledged verse. Hope you guys like it, enjoy!

Michael took in a shaky breath, narrowly resisting the urge to unsheath his claws and tear into the fucking asshole to his left. The one who’d been bragging for the past hour about the mouse hybrid he’d caught off guard, how they’d screamed and pleaded with him to let them go, how he was planning on putting it’s itty bitty tail on display somewhere.

It wasn’t the first tale he’d overheard that night, knew it wouldn’t be the last one either. ‘Prey hunting’ was so commonplace these days amongst Predator communities it was practically considered a goddamn _sport_. There were even people he knew who did it, people he’d otherwise have respected, who got their kicks out of preying on the weak.

It was simply the call of instinct, the officials said, the natural order of things… but the officials said an awful lot of shit like that didn’t they? And even more, he imagined, behind their backs. He’d seen the looks they gave his kind and prey alike after all. ‘Fucking animals’, ‘freaks’ and ‘half-breeds’... that’s what they were to them. A species just barely above a common beast and hell these days Michael almost fucking agreed with them because this, bragging about the hybrids you’d hunted down, sporting pieces of their corpses as fucking medallions…

‘They were in _our_ territory.’ Was usually the excuse, but had they fucking seen where their ‘prey’ were kept, how caged in they were. Predator hybrids only got the privileges they did because they were a threat that had to be appeased, Michael was under literally _no_ illusions about that, but prey? Well they were far easier to lock away weren’t they? In tiny little pens, space less and confined, until they fucking died.

Of course they ran.

And ran right into the hands of the ready and eager predators whenever they did. Why? Because that meant less freaks for the officials to deal with, because it kept the numbers of hybrids down and forced them that much closer to extinction. That was why they’d put in the goddamn law that separated the two ‘types’ of hybrid in the first place. Why risk ‘pure’ blood in the process after all when they could just segregate them and get the freaks to exterminate themselves? They’d even arranged a system of vigilante justice for ‘sympathisers’ within the predator communities, which was exactly why Michael kept his goddamn mouth shut.

Killing a sympathiser, killing prey, supposedly won ‘favor’ with the higher ups, a chance of getting out of the hybrid communities and escaping to the wide and grassy plains beyond… it was a pipe fucking dream if Michael had ever heard one. But still this fucking idiots bragged and boasted and failed to see the fucking obvious, even when it was staring them right in the fucking face.

Because these predators, all of them, were living on fucking borrowed time. Because even as the ‘predators’, they were already being hunted. Because once the ‘prey’ had been eliminated, they’d be coming for them next.

And these dumb fucks would never even see it coming.

\----

He took the long way home, avoiding the all the usual ‘hunting’ spots as he headed back to his designated living space. It wasn’t much, but he didn’t really have many complaints. It was his, a safe space away from the assholes that plagued the community he was confined to… also the view wasn’t bad.

Sure it was technically of the bars that fenced them in, a not so subtle reminder of his ‘place’, even as a predator hybrid but… he could see the empty fields beyond, the ones that he might never get to experience himself but that sure as hell didn’t make them any less fucking impressive, nor did it limit their beauty.

It was what little he had other than his dreams that the ‘pure’ couldn’t quite monitor or control. His little piece of rebellion, where he spent just a little too long staring beyond the bars with a dream in his mind and a fuck you on his lips.

It was something. And sure as hell, it was the best he was gonna get.

A rough shove into his right shoulder had him wheeling on the stranger, claws drawn in seconds, a hiss on his lips… “Oh crap man I’m sorry. You were wondering kinda near the edge of the bars, thought you were one of those wimpy little freaks from the prey compound.”

He forced a laugh, a well-rehearsed sneer coming to his lips as he responded, “No problem. Seriously it’s better to check. Wouldn’t want one of those nasty little fuckers sneaking into our territory would we?”

“No fucking kidding man. Well I’m off. Hear there’s some activity out east, maybe a vole hybrid… you’re welcome to tag along if you want man. Consider it my apology for slamming into you like that.”

“Nah it’s fine, got people waiting for me out west.”

“The bird hybrid? Got it man, wouldn’t want to keep you from _that_ kind of prize… Happy hunting.”

“You too,” Bird hybrid? He hadn’t heard about one of those in months, had always assumed they’d made use of their wings to get away before the predators could catch them. But if they’d started clipping their wings…

Michael felt his stomach churn.

Worse still, he had to fucking go west now didn’t he. Because the guy was watching him, a question burning in his eyes, and others no doubt had overheard him too. And so he headed west, forcing himself to keep his eyes sharp and his claws on show, radiating every bit the predator he’d never wanted to be and hoping, against hope, that maybe this time he’d be able to sneak away before they caught this poor asshole and made the kill.

\----

“Right so you’re all familiar with how this works I’m sure.” Scattered laughter, a few teasing jibes, “Tonight we’re showing my son the ropes so I want everyone on their best game, show Kdin here how it’s done.” Michael felt sorry for the poor kid. He could just about make out the well concealed fear in Kdin’s eyes, little enough that most people would mistake it for nerves but… Michael knew better.

Sympathisers always knew.

It’d been a while since he’d seen one in his own community though. Apparently theirs was the ‘most successful’ in weeding out the weak that the officials had seen since this ‘rehabilitation project’ of theirs had begun. Apparently that was meant to be a _good_ thing.

But Kdin was definitely sympathetic, that much was obvious from the slight quiver in his form whenever the father turned away, from the way his hands clenched and unclenched sometimes when no one seemed to be watching… by the look of shock that’d briefly flittered across his gaze when it’d locked with Michael’s.

Sympathisers always knew…

Thankfully Kdin turned away again before the starring became obvious, or drew any unwanted attention to his person since _technically_ this was an invite only hunting party anyway and Michael Jones sure as hell hadn’t been on the guest list… Not that he’d have wanted to be in the fucking first place, but still he’d rather not be caught in the act, especially by a man with a reputation as ruthless as Kdin’s father had.

The best way to describe him was the official’s lapdog. Not because of any hybrid characteristics, but how wholeheartedly he swallowed and lived by their manifesto. He lived to hunt, to eradicate the weak, and was constantly recruiting the youth within their community to a similar lifestyle. He could see several kids, no older than ten or eleven, in the crowd after all and Kdin himself was only nine…

It was far too young to be brought into this life, far too early to be taught about an us and a them and the importance of eradicating said them in order to thrive… And yet, it was the way things were done. Michael had made his first hybrid kill at his age. Had pretended to take pride in the kill and had rambled on to anyone who’d asked about the joy he’d taken in accepting his rightful place in the hierarchy of hybrids.

No one had known about the bile he was forcing down his throat with every goddamn word, or how afterwards when they’d all left he’d flee to his room and let the silent tears fall into his pillow. Unseen, unheard, unknown.

It was the only way to be safe. He knew another kid whose tears had been seen once in class, a kid who’d later been dragged into the streets and stoned to death. He’d learned from him that any emotions you had, you kept to your goddamn self. They weren’t meant to _feel_ things after all. They were monsters, degenerates, freaks. That’s what the officials taught them. They weren’t allowed to feel because feeling meant humanity.

And that was simply unacceptable for a creature just above beast.

But Kdin had emotions, emotions that were starting to show through a little more now that he’d seen Michael. He kept shooting him glances now, quick and fleeting but… enough that he noticed. He just hoped that no one else had.

“Okay boys and girls, time to head out. Oh and don’t worry, I scoped this hunt out earlier. This little birdy’s not going anywhere any time soon.” The group began to move past the gates, filling into the designated hunting areas, the ones prey _had_ to cross through, in order to reach the predator’s territory, and the free territory beyond that. The predator complex deliberately surrounded it’s prey for that very purpose. So that escape wasn’t just an unlikely feat for their kind, but a practical impossibility.

He almost managed to slip away before the gates closed behind the group, just missing out as a man from behind him in the crowd pushed through it with a sudden urgency, the gates slamming behind the pair as the new arrival wove his way through the crowds, finally coming to a rest just beside the leader whose smile grew wider in response, “Jack, delighted to see you managed to join us.”

“Well it’s Kdin’s first hunt, what kind of a friend would I be if I missed that?”

“Sure it’s got nothing to do with the type of prey we’re hunting?” ‘Jack’s’ lips quirked into a wide toothy grin at that, the kind that Michael was more than used to seeing around their community. The kind that was more a threat than an expression of actual joy. Then again, what did _any_ of them really have left to genuinely smile about anymore.

“Well maybe a little, it’s not often you see a bird hybrid around these parts.”

“Well I’m sure we’ll be more than a match for it between us. Kdin, how about you tail Jack for this. Knowing him, he’ll scent out the kill _long_ before we do.” The poor kid nodded weakly, tentatively moving to stand by the huge fucking lion hybrid, eyes briefly flitting to where Michael stood in an almost _plea_ as he took his place.

“Well friends, we have until midnight. Arm yourselves,” Some scattered laughter as claws were drawn, teeth were bared, stances were taken, “And remember, whoever kills the birdy bitch gets to keep his wings. Let’s hunt!” A loud roar of enthusiasm rumbled through the crowd as hybrids took off left and right, splitting off into smaller factions as they took to the challenge with a relish, leaving Michael to lag behind as he pretended to make his play by scouting out the nearby areas.

“You’re new aren’t you?” Michael wasn’t proud to admit he almost shit himself as a tiny voice to his right caught him off guard, “Sorry I didn’t mean to-”

“Don’t worry about it kid,” He offered, spinning on his heels to find himself face to face with Kdin fucking Jensen… shit, “You should probably get back to that Jack guy though.”

“He’s hunting.”

“Yeah that’s generally what happens on a fu- on a hunt.”

“I know what happens on a hunt. I also know what swearing is, my dad does it a lot when a hunt goes badly… and I know that I like it a lot more when that happens.” Fuck, fucking shit didn’t this kid realize anyone could be fucking listening to him spout off this stuff right now? “I like it when they get away.” Fucking hell. “And I know you do too.”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re on about kid but them getting away’s a bad thing. It means we’ve let that filth into our territory and-”

“You don’t mean that. You’re shaking, I do that too sometimes when I’m lying.” Fuck he had a fucking tell that a _nine year old_ could pick up? God he was so fucking boned that there may as well be a dick up his ass right now, “It’s okay. I’m not gonna tell. I’m not stupid.”

“Talking about shit like this mid-hunt’s not exactly smart.”

“No one’s here. I’d know if they were. In fact the nearest predator’s roughly half a mile away right now.” A light wave in the general direction of the kid’s ears had Michael’s eyes widening a fraction. He’d always known the Jensen’s were something resilient and really fucking rare but… he’d never really taken into consideration just how advanced their senses might be, “And they’re too busy fighting about how they’re going to split the wings with their team to pay any attention to us. We’re safe.”

“For now.” As if to prove Michael’s point, moments later there was a slight rustle of foliage to his right. Just a slight one, barely noticeable if not for the fact that he and Kdin had both carefully been listening out for just that. He instantly tensed, preparing for a conversation he _really_ didn’t want to have, either about sneaking into this party or hogging Jensen’s kid but instead stumbled out something _far_ fucking worse, “Oh you have _got_ to be fucking kidding me.”

The bird hybrid wandered a few steps further before his eyes widened in a way that’d almost be comical under any other circumstances, his eyes briefly flashing to the bars behind where he and Kdin stood, longingly eyeing the territories which lay beyond, before bracing himself for what, under any other circumstances would probably be his inevitable demise. As it was, Michael had been gearing up to deliver just that and put the poor fucking bastard out of his misery before the _real_ fucking sadists showed up…

But then there was a light tug on his arm, accompanied with the hushed words, “We have to save him.”

“You’re joking right? Seriously you have to be there’s… no fucking way we can do that.”

“He’ll die if we don’t.”

“He’s fucking dead either way kid, that’s how this works. I’d just rather not fucking die with him.” He tried not to meet the man’s gaze as he said it, tried to ignore the diminishing spark of hope that’d briefly been kindled there at the kid’s exclamation. You didn’t _save_ lives on a hunt, that wasn’t how it worked. He was sure the man understood… though damn if that didn’t make the whole situation here that much fucking worse.

“If you don’t want to save him that’s fine, I will.”

“Kid you might have a dad in high places but you’re not invincible. You’ll get caught and he won’t be able to save you,” Hell he might not even want to, but fuck if he was saying that to a nine year old’s face.

“Then you have to help me so I don’t.”

“I-”

“Please. I can’t do this without you.”

“I-” He turned to look at the kid again, took in his eyes, still so young and innocent in a way Michael knew his would never be again and… fuck knows he’d never quite learned how to say no to an innocence like that, “Fuck it okay. Hey bird brain, take this.” He slipped off his jacket, tossing it over to the man in question, “Put it on, hide your feathers. I don’t fucking care if it hurts you to do it, it’s better than being fucking dead.”

The man seemed like he was going to hesitate for a second, but only that before he was quickly slipping the jacket over his shoulders, hiding and arranging his features in a way that could almost pass for him just being a little on the porky side. He thought he might have heard something snap at one point but he refused to feel guilty about it, not when he was already sticking his neck out this far on the fucking line for this man.

“Right, Kdin, go find Jack.” The kid seemed to reel at that, eyes widening a fraction as he shook his head rigorously.

“I already said he’s hunting-”

“I know, go join him.”

“I don’t want to hunt-”

“You’re not going to. Fuck you’re gonna… go ahead and hold him up okay? Your dad was saying before he could scent prey real well? This way we make sure he’s too distracted to do just that okay?”

“I-”

“Look this is me giving my word that I’ll get bird brain out of here okay. But you have to do your bit too okay?” He hated putting that kind of responsibility on the kid, but it was the only way he could see them all making it out of this okay. Plus, there was the added bonus that if they did get caught, and it all went to shit, the kid at least would be able to play innocent. His life might not be as worthless as the officials liked to make out it was, but a fucking nine year old who’d never spilt one goddamn drop of blood in his life was still worth a _hell_ of a lot more.

If he could at least guarantee that, in all this, at least this kid made it to his tenth birthday, well maybe then he’d done alright for himself.

“Yeah… yeah okay.”

“Good. Watch you back out there kid.”

“You too… um, I never caught your name.”

“It’s Michael, now go.” The kid flashed him a brief smile before taking off as fast as his legs would carry him which was… apparently pretty goddamn fast. One day he’d _really_ have to figure out what kind of hybrids that family actually were.

Well provided he made it out of this suicide mission with all of his limbs still intact that was.

“You’re Michael? I’m-”

“Look no offence but right now I’m trying to save your life, the fucking meet and greet stuff can wait until later okay?” The hybrid hesitated for a moment before nodding, falling blessedly silent as he tried to surmise how best to sneak back into the compound before any other unwanted arrivals showed up.

“You know-”

“Seriously I wasn’t fucking kidding about that waiting til later thing-”

“I was just gonna say you could probably pick the lock on that with one of those.” The man offered, gesturing to Michael’s claws, still drawn, though all but forgotten in recent shitstorm of events that’d suddenly invaded his life.

“Seriously? There’s no fucking way that’d work I-”

“Just try it.” Michael rolled his eyes but obliged, figuring at the very least that maybe it’d shut the idiot up if he did… he was pretty sure he only narrowly prevented his jaw from dropping when it suddenly slid open.

“All the locks between our compound and this section were basics because they _want_ us to escape, so predators can kill us… I just figured that it might work both ways, since I doubt the time regulations really apply when it comes to killing us.” Maybe not an idiot then, not that Michael really had the time to linger on that thought. He’d worry about wrongly made assumptions later, right now he had a fucking bird hybrid to smuggle through predator territory.

“Whatever, just get your feathery ass through that gate before someone sees okay?”

“Okay Michael… and thanks.”

“Don’t fucking mention it.” It wasn’t a thanks he deserved after all, he’d been ready to give him a quick death rather than put his own neck on the line. He’d done it before after all… no time to linger on that now though. Not with the group probably not that far behind them and still very much on the hunt for their prey. Not with bird brain still out in the open and vulnerable, “Come on, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover before they get back.”

“Where are we going?”

“My place.”

“Why Michael, you haven’t even bought me dinner first.” Fucking hell was this guy for fucking real?

“Some of the assholes in that group would’ve probably _had_ you for dinner, I figure that makes us square.”

“Yeah I guess… thanks Michael.”

“Would you just stop thanking me already? We’re far from out of the woods yet.” The ‘pure’ wouldn’t be patrolling yet, not when the hunts were taking place, but that would only last so long...

“Yeah but still… I guess I owe you one.” He briefly turned to face the man, deliberately forcing himself to ignore the way his stomach churned at the look of genuine gratitude in the man’s eyes before his forced his gaze elsewhere, watching their backs since fuck knows this idiot probably wouldn’t.

“Careful bird brain, if we actually make it through the night alive, I might hold you to that.”

\----

They’d made it.

He wasn’t sure how the hell they’d done it, especially considering that they’d actually run into another group of returning hunters on the way back to his living space but apparently bird brain was good under pressure. He still couldn’t quite believe the guy had actually yanked out a handful of his own feathers when they hadn’t been looking though, claiming them as spoils from the hunt.

It’d been that quick thinking that’d saved both their necks, Michael was absolutely certain, and yet the man refused to accept that it made them even. And now he was fast asleep on Michael’s bed, wings sprawled out across the sheets at angles that weren’t quite natural, angles that _he_ was most likely responsible for though the man hadn’t complained, just smiled gratefully when he’d been offered the bed.

Apparently prey territories didn’t have beds… based on how scrawny the man seemed to be, Michael couldn’t help but wonder if they actually had any food over there either. He was practically skin and bone aside from the colorful wings protruding from his shoulders and it made Michael wince a little in sympathy whenever he considered exactly _why_ that was.

At least he was safe now. Though for how long was the question Michael was doing his goddamn best not to think about as he curled up on the floor beside him. How long did either of them have really before the officials caught up to them. Before Kdin broke under pressure and snitched or someone happened to catch a glimpse of the illegal hybrid hiding in his quarters.

It wouldn’t be years, probably months at best until his number was up and yet… he couldn’t quite bring himself to regret the choices he’d made that night. Because at least if he died because of it, it’d be dying with one middle finger raised to the ‘pure’ and the other to the predators who actually believed that what they did here was _natural_ and _right_.

Deep down, he was pretty sure there wasn’t any other way he’d want to go out of this fucked up world.

\----

“I’m Gavin.” Michael blearily blinked into consciousness, his brow creasing just a little in groggy confusion.

“What?”

“That’s my name. Never got the chance to say it before when you were saving me and well, I figure it’s only fair you know my name right? Since you’re basically the bloody reason I made it this far.” Michael shook his head, forcing himself up off the ground and heading straight towards the sink for a glass of water.

“I think Kdin probably deserves at least some of the credit.”

“Was he the kid you were with last night?” Michael nodded wearily, taking a quick gulp before offering Gavin the glass, the man accepting it with vigor and quickly taking a few greedy gulps of the liquid.

“Yeah he’s the kid of the man who was leading the hunt. Poor bastard, clearly never wanted to be caught up in that lifestyle… then again few of us do.” Gavin titled his head a little at that, clearly intrigued by the statement.

“Yeah? We always thought you enjoyed it.”

“Well you were fucking wrong then weren’t you.” The man raised his hands in apology.

“We were. In our defence though, we didn’t exactly know any better. All we ever get to see of predators is when they kill us.” Michael nodded, moving to fill the glass again as Gavin continued, “I guess I never really realized there were good people on both sides of the fence until you and Kdin decided to help me.”

“We’re not good people. Well, Kdin probably is, he’s just a kid but in general? Most of us killed before our ages got into double figures, some of us genuinely _do_ enjoy it and those who don’t? Well we don’t exactly stop it happening either.”

“But you did.”

“This time,” Gavin flinched a little at that, “Look I’m already in deep shit with this as it is so I’ll do my best to help you from here on out but… just don’t mistake me for a good person okay? Those don’t exist here and if they do? Well, they’re not me.”

There was a long moment of silence before the other man answered, “I’m still here, that means you’re good enough for me. I’m not asking for a saint here Michael, I’m asking for help and if you’re willing to offer that? I don’t care about anything else, you’re the best bloody person I’ve ever met.”

Michael fell silent for a long moment, not quite sure how to actually address that, so instead he just moved over to the small wardrobe on the other side of the room, “Just stay out of sight okay? Feel free to cut holes in some of these if you need space for your,” He made a vague gesture to Gavin’s wings before tossing a few old shirts in his general direction, “I’ll be back later.”

“Where are you going?”

“Work.”

“Wait you guys have actual jobs here?” Michael levelled Gavin with a look at that.

“Of course we do,” It was how they kept up the charade of predators living in a ‘gated community’ instead of a prison cell.

“What do you do?”

“I’m an electrician.”

“What’s that?”

“I make people’s lights and heating work.” Occasionally some of the more ‘in favor’ circles got privileges like radios or even TVs too. Those were rare though and, even when given, they were heavily censored to the point where the device was almost made fucking redundant in the first place.

“Sounds top!”

“Top? Look never mind just stay out of sight, don’t talk to anyone-”

“Look out for myself, right got it… you too okay?” Michael forced a half smile, half grimace at that.

“I’ll try.”

 


End file.
